Albuquerque Chamber Vision Lifts Education Results
Published Mar 24, 2006
The University of New Mexico’s continuing education program has grown exponentially.
“Education is empowerment.” Those are the words of Del Archuleta, head of Molzen-Corbin & Associates, an engineering and architectural firm with offices in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Carlsbad.
Believing wholeheartedly in his assertion, Archuleta has been instrumental in a years-long initiative by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce to breathe new life into all levels of New Mexico education.
“We are a chamber of commerce. Attracting new jobs to the community is important and making sure that the businesses we have are vibrant is important,” he says. The key to both those goals? A trained, skilled workforce.
Thus, the chamber launched in 1999 its Talent Force/Education Planning Council, which Archuleta chaired. It didn’t take long for the group to realize that local education reform required a statewide perspective.
Three years later, Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law House Bill 212, which incorporated the Albuquerque chamber’s five-point strategy for education success: raise teacher salaries, increase accountability, reform governance, recommend community and parental support, and raise expectations of the students.
Greater Albuquerque Chamber President Terri Cole says voters statewide got behind the idea, approving two constitutional amendments necessary to make the recommendations a reality.
“Our goal is to create an education system that prepares every student either for going to work or to college upon graduation from high school,” she says. “We’re trying to create a seamless system where a student can progress through it with options and alternatives and be able to access the education system and access the work system.”
That’s also the goal of Albuquerque Public Schools, says Superintendent Elizabeth Everitt.
She defines accountability as “making sure that we not just provide information and instruction, but that students actually learn it to a level that they can master the material.” The next step, she adds, is “using those academics” as a foundation for leadership and work ethics.
Everitt applauds the chamber’s support of Albuquerque Reads, a kindergarten support program that puts trained business leaders directly into classrooms to tutor students. “That’s a win-win situation for all of us,” she notes.
At the next educational level is Rita Martinez-Purson, dean of continuing education at the University of New Mexico. She says noncredit continuing education is “about learning skills, gaining knowledge and new abilities to perform better in the workplace.”
Customized training to meet the needs of a specific employer is “the single fastest-growing component of our division,” she adds. In fact, the division’s custom training has grown exponentially, from $67,000 to $500,000 worth of training sold in one year.
UNM also offers associate’s degrees and certificate programs, distance learning and online classes in more than 200 areas of study, from real estate licensing to leadership development.
The division’s aim, says Martinez-Purson, is “to be a trusted partner with the business community and economic development agencies, striving toward a better workforce for our state.”
Story by Sharon H. Fitzgerald
Photo by Brian McCord
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